NEWS & UPDATES

Park City, UT—Nita Englund of the U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team took second place at the 11th World Cup competition in Rasnov, Romania on Sunday, February 8, 2015 after a 12th place finish on Saturday in the 10th World Cup competition. Englund flew 94.0 meters, scoring 118.3 points to secure her podium on Sunday. Tara Geraghty-Moats also had a good day Sunday, jumping 93.0 meters and scoring 110.1 points to secure a 9th place finish. Sarah Hendrickson placed 14th with an 88.0 meter jump and 104.8 points. Sara Takanashi of Japan took first place with a 95.0 meter jump and 121.4 points.

“I sometimes get excited when I see the conditions get worse because it is something that does not bother me,” said Englund. “I honestly did not know it was a “one rounder” until I got to the bottom...I was ready to do it again! I think the best thing was that I stayed calm and focused on keeping my jump like it was in training. Anyhow, I am cherishing the moment and I don't think it has really sunk in yet.”

On Saturday, February 7, 2015, Englund soared 88.0 and 90.5 meters and scored 212.9 points in her two jumps, while Hendrickson, Geraghty-Moats, and Jessica Jerome had 18th, 19th, and 20th finishes respectively. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria won the competition with jumps of 94.0 and 92.5 meters and 239.1 points.

“The hill here is really selective and does not allow any mistakes. We had a light tail wind and low gate conditions where small mistakes are doubly penalized. The athletes had problems with timing of the take-off which cost them better distances and placements,” said travel coach, Vasja Bajc after the Saturday competition. “Today there simply was not a good biorhythm. Although they all experienced relatively good official training, the athletes performed too aggressively and were not focused enough on the technical issues we have been working on. However, I am happy with Sarah’s trial round and with Tara’s entire competition. In addition, I am happy with Nita’s second round [on Saturday] where she placed 6th. Abby [Hughes] is coming off a long break due to injury and Jessica maintained her level for the season.”

Earlier this week, Emilee Anderson and Logan Sankey, both of the U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team placed 20th and 30th respectively at the World Ski Jumping Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Anderson jumped 86.5 and 81.5 meters, scoring 172.3 points. Sankey jumped 75.0 and 75.7 meters in her two jumps, scoring 140.4 points. Sofia Tikhonova of Russia won the competition with two jumps of 95.5 meters and 227.5 points. Germany won the Normal Hill Team event; the U.S. Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team did not participate in the event.

“This was a good competition for Emilee and Logan,” said travel coach Lindsey Van. “They both stepped it up in the competition, which is hard to do in championship events. Emilee had her best jumps of the whole month; as a coach there is nothing more that I can expect. This was Logan's first Junior World Championship competition. She has made huge improvements this year and showed she is a strong competitor.”

“This week was a crazy experience for me,” commented Logan Sankey. The event was the biggest I have ever been to and I wasn't used to the amount of activity going on at the hill. I had an amazing time and really enjoyed representing America in such a strong international field.”

Anderson said, “I was happy with the improvements I made in Almaty. Although it was bittersweet competing in my last Junior World’s, I had an awesome time with the team experiencing Kazakhstan. I learned a lot from Lindsey the past month. I would say the trip was an overall success!”

The World Cup team will next compete in Ljubno, Slovenia on February 14 and 15, 2015 prior to heading to the World Championships in Falun Sweden the following week.

Junior World Ski Jumping Championships Thursday Results:

Emilee Anderson: 20th place with jumps of 86.5 and 81.5 meters; 172.3 points

Logan Sankey: 30th place with jumps of 75.0 and 75.5 meters; 140.4 points

Women’s Ski Jumping USA, a 501c3 nonprofit, is the primary support organization for the U.S.
National Team. With the help of a small staff and lots of generous volunteers, the organization runs the U.S. women’s ski jumping program and raises the necessary funds to pay for coaching, travel, training, equipment and a junior developmental program.

Women's Ski Jumping USA

Women’s Ski Jumping USA is the primary support foundation for the VISA Women's Ski Jumping Team and aims to foster development level athletes throughout the U.S. WSJ-USA, a 501c3 foundation, also advocates for equality for women and girls in sports.